“I offer my condolences, I’m sorry for my actions and I didn’t mean to do it,” Alvis, who had his left arm in a sling, said before the sentence was read.

The sentence was handed down during an emotional hearing in front of 51st District Judge Jodi Debbrecht Switalski, who said she thought of her children while thinking of the victims, James Greer, 24, and Joseph Lawton-Hooks, 25.

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Both of Greer’s parents shared their thoughts with the court, and both struggled through tears at times to get the words out.

“I miss him so much,” said his mother, Renee Greer.

“My heart is broken because I lost my only child. My husband and I said we would love and care, teach him well and always be there for him. He had a kind spirit, a beautiful smile and a wonderful laugh. Everywhere that I look in my home, I see him.”

James Greer was grateful to have grown up in a two-parent home, in which his parents worked hard but still made time to attend his numerous events, his mother said.

“I watched everything that we taught him take root,” she said.

“We raised a very good young man. We lost him too soon. The world lost him too soon. He still had so many things to contribute to society.”

“He fought and suffered for almost three weeks, and it is so hard to watch your son go through this all because Dennis Alvis didn’t slow down,” Renee Greer said.

“My life has changed so much. I will never stop loving him, and he will always be 24 years old, because that is when his life ended.”

Greer’s father, Eric, also addressed the court.

“Words cannot explain the pain I’ve been through the last few months,” he said, adding that he had to take deep breaths while on the way to the hospital to remain calm.

“We were all hoping the injuries were not life threatening. When we arrived, we were happy to find out that he was alive but we were also devastated to see all the tubes and IVs in his body. This was our only child. We had so many hopes and dreams for our child, as all parents do.”

The Greers maintained hope as their son was hospitalized.

“We’d say, ‘When he makes it through, there’s nothing he could ask for that we couldn’t get for him or do for him,’” Eric Greer said.

“When James passed away, our whole circle of family and friends were devastated. This kind of pain is on a whole other level. I’ve had injuries, but nothing hurt like this. You can’t describe it. You hear of people losing a child, and you know it hurts, but it hurts way more than you can imagine.”

Eric Greer said that pain could’ve been avoided if Alvis followed proper procedures.

“No matter what his punishment is, his pain will not be 10 percent of our pain,” he said.

Switalski spoke at length before sentencing Alvis.

“Your son is beautiful,” she said to the Greer family after viewing photos of James Greer.

“As a former prosecutor on some horrific cases like this and now as a judge, I truly find myself without words as to how to console you, and I have given your words so much thought. ... Nothing that happens today, unfortunately, will ever take your grief away, and for that, I’m very sorry.

“I can’t think of a more horrific situation, quite honestly. There is no justice in this. As (attorneys), we know there are times where there was righteousness and you’re putting the bad guy behind bars or you’re availing someone who has been wrongly accused. That is much more black and white than what we have here today.

Switalski said it must be taken into consideration that Alvis did not activate his emergency lights and siren while responding to a call that night. She also commended the work Alvis has done throughout his career.

“Not only does he not have any (criminal) history, his contribution to his community is profound,” she said.

“I don’t view Deputy Alvis as a criminal ... albeit he will have two very serious convictions on his record, and despite his incredible service in his career, he will be indelibly marked by this incident instead of being the deputy with the myriad of meticulous accolades. His career will be forever marked by the fact that two young men are dead as a result of his negligence.”

Defense attorney Mitch Ribitwer, who, like Switalski, became choked up at times during the hearing, agreed.

“I’ve known Deputy Alvis for 25 years,” Ribitwer said.

“He’s a good man. The Greer family and the Lawton-Hooks family should know that he’s a broken man, too, that he’s grieved. He can’t sleep at night and he’s truly remorseful. It’s an unfortunate, tragic accident.”

Alvis takes responsibility for his actions, Ribitwer said.

“I’m suggesting to you that his career for the last 25 years speaks for itself,” he told Switalski.

To the families, Ribitwer said “We feel your pain and we hope you’ll heal.”

Both families have filed lawsuits against the county regarding the crash. Court dates in those cases have not yet been set.